breakfast, lunch -n- dinner

Serving up whatever I want.

Sep 29, 2009

Jay-Z Promises To Be Mayer Of Soul City

Pitchfork has started their top 200 albums of the past decade.One of my favorite musik blogs Pop Tarts Suck Toasted also started their list. So far, they are leaps and bounds better than Pitchfork.You know what means?

So why are Kyle Jackson and I friends (besides the obvious)?This is why.Let me replay our text conversation from last night:

Me - "Just an average day in lufe but you're willing to spend a little money because your boss gave you the thumbs up at work for turning your report in on time right after the girl you've been facebook stalking wrote on your wall unexpectedly? Celebrate with a bloomin' onion! Let's go outback tonight."Kyle - "I got 99 problems but a damsel with loose morals is not one."Me - "Already read that on tumblr. I win"Kyle - "They got it from me obvi."Me - "Oooooh. Touche' sir. Touche'. Silly of me to think a woman could be funny on her own."Kyle - "What can women do on their own anyway?"Me - "Wanna hear a joke?"Kyle - "Women's rights."Me - "Sir. You read my mind. Continue to impress me and someone will receive a special high five."

Sep 24, 2009

Coke Samples In Hip Hop Are Il

Alright so here it goes. I respect Kanye as a producer. I like his first two albums. I think Graduation was all for the money and 808 and the CrapTastics isn't even musik. HoweverLearning that Kanye knows the art of sampling and does it well makes me rethink my position on him. I love it when rappers sample songs; hence the reason I love 80s and 90s hip hop. Check this out and let me know what you think.

If Kanye did a show with a DJ and all records and used the legit, non-altered samples I would buy everyone of his records.

Sep 21, 2009

Some Of My Favorite Musik Videos

I've been at college a month, give or take. I've already met some of the coolest people I'll ever meet in my life.Me and my friend Anna drove 30+ to and from Boston this weekend. We listened to musik 90%+ of the time. I gained an appreciation for hard core. She for electronic/mash ups.We are going to watch a days worth of musik videos soon.

Sep 9, 2009

Who Would Win: Kelly Warren Or Taylor Swift?

Kelly is one of the few people I've met at USC who is both 1) sane AND 2) likes Taylor Swift. Killer combo. Well, Kelly, being the good friend that she is, was looking through my list of the top 150 songs of the past decade. Her scolding made me quiver. "Why is Taylor Swift not on the list!?!?" she yelled to me as she punched a puppy.This post goes out to you Kelly Warren. Please don't hurt me.

Sep 4, 2009

The Top Songs Of The 2000s: 10-1

Here is the end our journey through the top 150 songs of the past decade: 2000-2009.

10. Priests And Paramedics - Pedro The LionThere is no band with simpler musikal construction than Pedro The Lion. They are the epitome of how the simple is what makes a great song. David Bazan's voice isn't all that great but his lyrics are memorable and poetic. Any one of their songs would have made my top ten but I chose this song because it's the first Pedro song that I ever heard with my brother. I love this band for what they represent in musik and I love this band.

9. Electric Feel - MGMTEvery hipster, indie kid, alternative, whatever, knows this song. It's catchy. It's 5 chords with a melody that makes everyone sing much higher than their range allows - with no shame. It was the best song of 2008 and it's still around more than a year and half later (since the digital release was in 2007). There are plenty of remixes, covers and terrible bar guitarists trying to recreate the danceability or electro-catchiness but nothing beats the original. Shock me like an electric eel.

Can't you feel the knife?Can't you feel the knife?Can't you feel the knife?Can't you feel the knife?"This is all the song consists of. A basic guitar, some sustain, a distant drum and some choral work. It's so basic but so beautiful. You love someone. You tell them. They lie again to get around talking about it. They stab you in the back. Every failed crush has been summed up in 6 lines. Every failed crush can be fixed with this song on repeat.

7. Lion's Mane - Iron & WineIn reality, I could put Iron & Wine as all 150 songs on this list. They are in my top 3 favorite bands of all time. Sam is complex yet accessible. I've heard people say that they love listening to Iron & Wine as they go to sleep because of the low production quality and the relaxing construction of the song and I've heard people say that they get too excited to sleep every time they listen to ole' Sam pluck the guitar. This song is a prime example of the capabilities and of the style of Iron & Wine and if you don't like this song you probably won't like Iron & Wine. If you don't like Iron & Wine then you probably aren't my friend.

6. One More Time - Daft PunkDaft. Punk. Daft. Punk. Daft. Punk. "Hey, let's make dance musik accessible to everyone who listens to our masterpieces." This has to be what Daft Punk was saying whenever they released Discovery. Homework is great, don't get me wrong. I love it. It's grungy, it's old school, it's super legit. Discovery - that's a flawless album. Starting out with a song about partying and ending with a 10 minute trance-esque song, this album is Daft Punk's brightest star. This is the first track on the album. This song should be played at every dance party. Ever.

5. A Song For Christine - AnathalloAnathallo is so underrated. They don't perform this song anymore due to changed band members since its recording but this is just one of many examples I could have chosen to show their expertise in all things musik. I've seen these guys several times and each experience has been different. The first time in a local Florence venue called The Lower Room these guys were beating on lead pipes and slamming shoes around to keep the tempo for the trombones to blare in our faces while the guitar tones just made my ears cry with joy. They get the crowd involved and they want to learn why you like musik. They are a great example of people who are beyond skill, who are people too. Anathallo creates musik. Anathallo creates love. Please, please get their albums. I don't know why these guys are more popular than Arcade Fire or MGMT because they are definitely on a higher caliber of expertise and melody.

4. Lower Your Eyelids To Die With The Sun - M83A 10 minute song to end a flawless album from M83. This is a great representation of what M83 does well: build ups and breakdowns, forever sustained synths and epic drums. This makes a great electronic band. This is the most epic song of the past decade. If you've seen this video you can't help but imagine it every time you embark on listening to this song. Don't hurry this song. Don't listen to it in pieces. Start this song. Drive at night. Roll down your windows. Feel alive. Repeat when necessary.

3. Hey Ya! - OutKastOutKast knows a thing or two about making a good song. The Love Below/Speakerboxxx is one of the best hip hop/rap albums of all time and it's just that. Rap AND hip hop. Wait, are you saying that there is a hip hop CD that came out AFTER 1997!?!? Yes. OutKast done it real well. The most loved hip hop/rap song of the past decade. Everyone knows it. Everyone sings it. Everyone loves it. Its great. It's so freaking great. This is modern hip hop. I wish it hadn't died already.

2. Pyramid Song - RadioheadI think we all knew that Radiohead would be in the top 10. I think we all know why. Besides their greatness and expertise at mastering strings, synth, reverb, bass, drums, beats, choruses, melodies, lyrics and everything else musikal, this was the first Radiohead song I ever heard. It means so much to me. It was a pivotal moment in musik. It was a pivotal moment in life.

1. Play Your Part (Pt. 1) - Girl TalkLost of people may disagree with this choice but let me justify myself. 1973 - Edgar Winter Group's song "Frankenstein" conatins take offs from popular songs and melodies on purpose. It was the first kind of sampling song and it was done with all instruments. An unheard of idea. 1977 - Afrika Bambaataa creates the idea of bringing turntablists together in a peaceful fashion. The first wide acceptance and use of DJs (who use all samples) in a corporation which gained a significant amount of press in the musik scene. An unheard of idea. 1996 - DJ Shadow puts out Endtroducing..., hands down the best turntablist album of all time. Cutting, beat juggling, mixing, doing things on a turntable that put every DJ to shame. A perfection of an art. 2004 - Greg Gillis of Girl Talk puts out Unstoppable, an album that is entirely mash ups and not just mash ups. Several songs in one collective song. 2006 - Girl Talk perfects his art with Night Ripper, blowing minds left and right. 2008 - Girl Talk puts out the best song of the decade. There is nothing more than can be done with musik.This is the final frontier of musik and Girl Talk does it best. Get the whole album here.

Sep 3, 2009

The Top Songs Of The 2000s: 25-11

Here continues our journey through the top 150 songs of the past decade: 2000-2009.

25. This Celluloid Dream- A.F.I.A.F.I. is a heavy emo rock band done right. It's dramatic and the production is low which means that unlike their "Decemberunderground" album (which was so heavily produced, anyone could make that album), this is an album that only A.F.I. can make. Their sounds and those screams mark what scene musik should have stuck with.

24. D.A.N.C.E. - JusticeThe best dance artist since Daft Punk, Justice took the world by storm with their electronic pop sensibility. It's well produced, no beat is wasted and every lyrics is just as fun as the dance moves you are pulling.

23. Us - Regina SpektorRegina Spektor could write a love song for me any day. She's so adorable and so talented. She is a genuine musician and person. This song is by far her best. Granted as a whole, the Begin To Hope album is her best full album, but this song just captures me heart every time I hear it.

22.My Doorbell - The White StripesThe White Stripes make me jealous. Yes I want to make ridiculous musik with my wife all day, thank you for rubbing it in.

20.Welcome Home - Coheed And CambriaThe hardest rocking song of the decade. The solo is imitated by every guitarist, air or real, the drums are epic and the bass is fast and choppy. The lyrics, especially the finale chorus just puts this rock song over the top. It's epic, to say the least.

19. Blood Bank - Bon IverLow-fi, hi-quality. Bon Iver blows our mind again with a 4 song EP in which every song, while independent, flows together so well. Mind exploded. Done.

17. Chinese Translation - M. WardA prime example of M. Ward's talent on the guitar while keeping us attached and singing along. This is a true sign of talent.

16.What You Know? - T.I.The best modern rap song of the past decade. Easy. T.I. is good. I don't care what you guys say. Let's hear you spit something sicker that this. "Loaded 44s on the low where the cheese at, Fresh off the jet to the Jects where the G's at". Translation: loaded guns hidden in our house in case of emergency. Quickly, I get off of the jets and head into the projects where my real brothers are. That.is.sick.Better get your Nikes brah.

15. After The Curtain - BeirutI don't know what it is but I just love this song. It's so simple and it's probably what Bibio listened to when they wrote Lovers' Carvings. Something about when he drops it, then brings it back in, and the crowd is there. It just reminds me of the fact that even though I try and make musik there are always people steps ahead.

13. Little Weapon [ft. Bishop G & Nikki Jean] - Lupe FiascoLupe writes about guns. Lupe writes about turmoil. Lupe writes about the ish that's real and uses a snare drive that reminds us high school, allowing us to connect to the kids mentioned in this song. I don't care what you guys think, this song is amazing. One of the best rap songs of all time.

12. We Belong Together - Mariah CareyOkay. I get it. You guys don't like Mariah Carey. Name one pop song that is better written or better sung than this one. Eh? Nothing? Oh, it looks like you like Mariah Carey too. Hmmm...

11. Kid A - RadioheadRadiohead is in the top 3 bands of the past decade. Nothing of a higher caliber of production, strings, synth or vocal range is out there. Radiohead.is.king.

Sep 2, 2009

The Top Songs Of The 2000s: 50-26

Here continues our journey through the top 150 songs of the past decade: 2000-2009.

50.99 Problems - Jay-ZJay-Z is above women. Duh. Actually, this song is all pop. It's Jay-Z telling us how much better he is than us but how he actually wants a woman to love. But he's still a G.

49.Galang - M.I.A.M.I.A. began here. Before Slumdog Millionare, before Paper Planes on MTV, before publicity, M.I.A. was a real hip hop artist. On a stage with a DJ just spitting whatever the heck she wanted. Now she's semi-sold out. I mean, she did a song with Kanye. Let's remember the goodness.

48.King Of The Rodeo - Kings Of LeonThis is the best example of indie rock gone great. I hate to use the term indie. In fact, you may have noticed that I've been avoiding it in this series but it's very difficult to describe this song as anything but straight up indie rock. When I hear this song I can imagine plaid shirt wearing kids with their Canon SLRs at a Kings Of Leon show wearing wrist bands from past concerts. Indie.

44.Reptilia - The StrokesBefore I took up guitar I had my hand at bass. This was the first song I ever learned on bass. It really helped me examine the different levels of a song.

43.Either Way - WilcoI don't know much about Wilco but I know that this song, and album, is the most optimistic love song of the past decade. So optimistic, it's sad. It's also the opening track to Wilco's best album which exemplifies the beginning of a grand album listening.

42.Ms. Jackson - OutKastNo matter what stage I was in, no matter who I was listening to, no matter who I loved, Ms. Jackson was always there. This song has been on the air waves and on my mix cds for the past 9 years. I honestly can't say I've ever met anyone who hasn't heard this song who was under 25.

40.Gobbledigook- Sigur RósI've met some new friends here at USC. One of which is named Mike Roberts. Mike showed me a video to this video and said, "It's just the band beating on drums." That may be Mike, but it's an effing great beat and a melody that makes an epic experimental song. Boom. Roasted.

38.Chicago - Sufjan StevensSufjan's most popular and most cinematically used song reminds us of Little Miss Sunshine and of Sufjan's whole goal of his CD: to allow us to connect with his set state.

37.The Zookeeper's Boy - MewMew has an interesting title with me. They are the best underrated modern rock band. Not to say that they are the best modern rock band, no. They are the best modern rock band that no one knows about.

33. Disorganized Fun - Ronald JenkeesRonald stands for a lot of things. He sounds like early edIT which is amazing enough since edIT is the best electronic hip hop artist of all time. I'm not sure if anything is wrong with Ronald Jenkees but if you hear this song you could never think it was possible. Lemme give you a little background: Ronald is a meme. He's famous only due to his massive amounts of views on YouTube. When he realized that people enjoyed watching him, Ronald decided to show the world his musik. This is the title track off of his 2nd produced album. Ronald went viral. He gives hope to all wannabe artists on YouTube.

32.Time Is Running Out - MuseMuse rocks. This is probably the best rock single of the past decade. It presented a new era of Muse. They have always been very theatrical and over the top but this song marked the beginning of the rock of Muse.

26.Battling Go-Go Yubari In Downtown L.A. - edITI said it before, I'll say it again. edIT is the best electronic hip hop beat maker of all time. Just listen to that. If rappers would use this there would be a whole 'nother scene out there of quality modern rap. Please? Anyone?

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